With close to 65% of the country’s population living in rural areas and only a quarter of the health facilities available there, India has a huge potential to adopt and adapt digitisation to ensure achieving the Universal Health Coverage target. There is a need to identify newer and innovative methods and technologies which can bridge the gaps in health care and foster equitable access to treatment. With the proliferation of smartphones and the ubiquity of the internet, digital solutions have the potential to revolutionise healthcare in India by enhancing access, delivery, and quality of healthcare services, thus improving health outcomes. It is in this context that a National Conference on ‘Universal Access to Healthcare: Digital Solutions’ was organised in New Delhi on 6th September 2024 by the Sankala Foundation in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission, India and with the support of NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In developing countries, ageing is occurring at an unprecedented pace. While developed nations took 150-200 years to double their elderly population, developing countries are experiencing this shift in just 50-70 years due to advancements in healthcare and technology transfer. This rapid ageing is straining economies, as it increases the old-age dependency ratio without a proportional rise in wealth.

The conference aligns seamlessly with the Foundation’s mission to transform public healthcare through innovative, sustainable, and community-centred approaches. By bringing together healthcare practitioners, policymakers, domain experts, innovators and thought leaders in the field of health and health technology, the event served as a platform to discuss and deliberate upon the potential of digital solutions in addressing specific healthcare challenges. The conference also served as a means for policymakers and experts to envision a roadmap with specific goals for advancing digital health in India.